


our lives are made in these small hours

by helsinkibaby



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Age Difference, Community: comment_fic, F/M, Fluff, Het, Rare Pair, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-10
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-11-12 13:39:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11162979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: It's the little things...





	our lives are made in these small hours

**Author's Note:**

> Theme : free for all  
> Prompt :  
> Any, any/any, the little moments in life are just as important as the big moments  
> http://comment-fic.livejournal.com/820315.html?thread=103681627#t103681627

Caitlin knows the second that someone has walked into STAR Labs. It's not because she hears footsteps, not because she hears someone say her name. On the contrary, she's fathoms deep in data analysis, is blind and deaf to everything around her. If her eyes and ears fail her, however, her nose is working just fine and when she takes a deep breath and the scent of a pumpkin spice latte catches her attention, her head lifts up straight away. 

She spins around in her chair, regrets it when the motion almost makes her fall over. Plus, she might not have moved in literal hours so she's stiff and it actually hurts. She winces and grips onto her console at the same time and, across the room, Joe chuckles. 

"Like a bloodhound," he says, crossing the room to stand in front of her. 

She doesn't even bother with a proper greeting, preferring to extend her hand for the latte. "That'd better be for me." 

As he hands it to her, he just gives her a look that clearly asks her who else would it be for before holding up his other hand. Her eyes widen when she sees the bag he's holding there. "I got you a muffin too," he says.

Her hand freezes in midair. "Bran and cranberry?" It's her go-to muffin and he knows that but it's not really what she's craving right now. Still, any port in a storm and all that. 

Joe narrows his eyes and tilts his head, blows a breath of air out between his lips. "Please," he says and there are entire worlds of scorn in that one syllable. "After the few days you've had? Only double chocolate chip will do." 

It's exactly the one she'd been longing for and she feels her face split in a smile. "I love you." 

She says it and then she freezes as the words hang in the air between them. She's been aware of the feeling for a while, been able to name it for herself, if not to him, but this is the first time that she's actually said those words out loud to him. She thinks for a moment that she should have waited, that such big words deserve a big moment, some romantic dinner, after a perfect date, after a near death or end of the world experience, something they've had plenty of. It shouldn't happen like this, the place they got to know one another, the place they fell in love, when he's just been his usual thoughtful self, taking care of her, doing one of the million little things he does to make her smile. 

And it hits her then, forcefully. Why shouldn't it be during a time like that? In fact, what better time could there be?

Even as she's thinking that, a slow smile spreads across Joe's face and it warms her from the inside out. "Well, you'd better," he says, slipping an arm around her waist and pulling her close as he brushes his lips across hers. When he releases her, he rests his forehead against hers. "And by the way?" His voice is low and she wonders if he can feel the shiver that runs down her spine. "I love you too." 

She grins broadly at that, gives him one more peck on the cheek before she takes the bag and turns back to her desk. "I'm not sharing this with you," she grins and he rolls his eyes as he pulls up a chair to sit beside her. 

"Sweetheart, I know better than to come between you and double chocolate chip." He squints at her computer screen. "Now, what are we looking at here?"

She knows he's going to understand about one word in twenty, even fewer when they're put in context. She tells him anyway as he rests his hand on her knee and listens to her, only interrupting to ask questions and to remind her to eat and when she's finished, Caitlin feels a million times better. 

After all, she's just realised that it's not just any port in a storm now. Not when she's got Joe to be her safe harbour.


End file.
